Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have the potential to provide inexhaustible sources of patient-specific cells, thus overcoming a major roadblock for many functional and pathological studies posed by the limited availability of patient-specific primary cells. Methods to differentiate hPSCs into specific cell types that exhibit functional characteristics of target adult cells hold great promise for patient-specific disease modeling, drug discovery and personalized medicine. In recent years, differentiation protocols for hPSC-derived airway epithelial cells have greatly improved the availability of cell models that enable studies of lung development and regeneration, as well as lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis.

View this webinar presentation by Dr. Janet Rossant and Dr. Amy Wong (Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto), who discussed their research efforts to understand lung development and diseases using hPSC-derived lung epithelial cells in CF-patient specific models.

For speaker bios and additional educational resources, including Janet’s interview Q&A’s, please visit Pluripotent Learning Lounge.